Start With Prayer
If our goal is to get to heaven, all we do here is by the grace of God and for the glory of God. Starting your day by offering all your works, relationships and time to the Lord is a great way to keep yourself focused on the Lord. Some find a full consecration prayer helpful (like the Consecration to Mary prayer), but it can be something as simple as “Lord, I offer you all my day today. Please send the Holy Spirit to me today to guide me through all I do today.”
Plan With the Lord
Lately, the internet has been taken by storm with liturgical planners. These take the typical calendar or academic planner and add in things like feast days, faith-based goal worksheets and novena start and end dates. Even if you don’t dive in entirely and start praying every novena suggested, it adds a bit of holy to your day just to see a saint’s name on the day with your schedule. I encourage you to pick one of those saints you just happened upon and find out more about their life – they can lead you even further down the path of holiness!
Pray With Your Meals
One great example of evangelization is as simple as praying before meals. You don’t even have to say the prayers out loud! If working in the office, your coworkers will see you bow your head, do the Sign of the Cross and spend a few quiet moments in prayer. This can encourage them to do the same (without feeling awkward) or even stoke up a conversation and an opportunity for evangelization. If you work from home, pausing to pray before your lunch is still a nice way to bring your focus back to how you started the day – with the Lord.
Pick Your Patron
Do you have a patron saint? Maybe the saint of your namesake or that shares their feast day with your birthday? If you already have one in mind, consider purchasing a holy card with that saint and placing it prominently on your desk or in your cubicle. This image will catch your eye throughout the day and encourage you to pray as well as being another great conversation starter for your coworkers. If you’re not feeling your namesake or birthday saint, consider one that is the patron of your profession like accountants (St. Matthew), farmers (St. Isidore), teachers (St. John Baptist de La Salle), plumbers (St. Vincent Ferrer) or beekeepers (St. Ambrose).
Examen the Day
I don’t know about you, but I always try to take the last 30 minutes of my workday and clear out my email inbox, making sure every email has at least been reviewed, hopefully addressed, and filed away in the proper folder. It feels nice to take inventory of what came in that day and what was sent out and completed. The same goes for our faith life. Take the last few minutes of your day to do an Examination of Conscience for your workday. Think about the good interactions and what was fruitful in your day. Consider the times you could have responded better to others or things you procrastinate. Resolve to continue or increase your good acts tomorrow. Ask your patron saint to intercede for you and pray for guidance and strength in the next day.
